Finally Home and Never Leaving
by zanessarobsten4ever
Summary: They hadn't been home in three years. Now they have no choice and step into the place that broke them, along with their hearts. Will it be too much. Can they forgive and forget


**Disclaimer: I own only story, no characters**

**Please REVIEW I would love to know how it is and if you guys liked it!**

Troy Bolton has a favorite holiday. It is a holiday that most favor; Christmas. He loved everything about it, the snow, the meaning, the gifts, decorating the tree. He loved being with his family for the holidays even though he hasn't been home for about three years. Everything just seemed so peaceful at Christmas. He almost forgot the reason why he hadn't been home in three years. Almost being the key.

Troy decided to go home straight from the University of Connecticut, where he attended college, instead of staying in Connecticut to enjoy the snow with his friends. He looked forward to seeing his parents and his old high school friends. To catch up with everyone. He looked forward to the Albuquerque sun instead of the cold Connecticut snow. He couldn't wait to get home for his favorite holiday.

Gabriella Montez was home. Her break from Yale had just ended and she and her best friend since forever, Taylor McKessie, were headed home for the holidays, finally. Christmas was both of their favorite holidays'. Gabriella enjoyed the snow but she couldn't wait to feel the heat of the Albuquerque sun. She hadn't been home in so long, three years to be exact, and was looking forward to spending the holidays with her family and friends. She was finally going home after all this time of avoiding it. She was slowing moving past her past.

Troy was greeted with hugs and kisses from his mom when he walked through his home. His dad gave him a dig hug, along with his younger brother and sister. It was nice relaxing to be home. He forgot how much he missed this place and his family.

Gabriella ran to the front door, which was opened right as she ran up to it. Her mother gave her the biggest hug she'd ever had. Gabriella's new stepdad popped out from behind the kitchen and gave her a nice, welcome home hug. Gabriella was just glad her mom wasn't alone since now Gabriella was so far away. John, her stepdad, walked out to get her bags, Gabriella right on his heels.

At the Bolton household, right next door, a similar thing was going on. Troy and his brother, Dan, ran out to get Troy's stuff, their younger sister, Stacey, followed them to help out. The trunk of Troy's car was open but the boys were in the yard tossing the football that was in the back of Troy's car. Stacey saw that their neighbors were out and stood in shock at the girl she hadn't seen in years. "Gabriella? Gabi is that you?" Stacey quickly ran over to the Montez's house.

"Stacey! Oh my gosh. Look at you! You're all grown up." Gabriella smiled and hugged the soon to be 18 year old.

Troy and Dan instantly stopped their game when they heard their sister's squeal. Dan saw who it was and ran over to give Gabriella a huge hug. Troy was frozen in his spot. He couldn't believe who was standing right in front of his eyes.

He looked at her carefully. She was laughing and smiling, that was a good sign. Her hair was a little longer, with also some new highlights. She was wearing gray sweatpants with a Yale t-shirt and black short ugg boots. He looked back at her face again. She looked tired, exhausted even, but her eyes were still the deep chocolate brown they always had been. Maybe a little darker but still the beautiful brown. She looked stunning, absolutely gorgeous in Troy eyes, though she had always looked beautiful in his eyes.

Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, along with Mrs. Baner, Mrs. Montez' new name, ran out to see what all the commotion was about.

"Troy? Is that you? Get over here and give me a hug." Maria Baner called to him. "I haven't seen you in years!"

As soon as his name was said, Gabriella's head snapped up. She hadn't noticed him before. Mrs. Bolton was currently hugging her but her eyes couldn't help but drift to Troy.

Troy smiled as he walked over to his practically second mom. He gave her a big hug listening to her rants about him not being home in such a long time. Troy laughed at her lecture, telling her how much he missed her.

Gabriella looked at the exchange as Mrs. Bolton, along with the mister, gave her, her own lecture. Gabriella forgot how handsome Troy really was; only now he was ten times better looking than he was before. His boyish features were gone and in their place new manly structures. He had a little after shave on his face, making him look extremely sexy. His hair was a little shorter, but the bangs still fell in his eyes. His smile was still the goofy grin it always was but not as excited and big as it used to be. His muscles were more toned and larger now. You could his six pack through the UCONN shirt he wore. She looked up at his best feature, her favorite, his eyes that used to make her knees go weak. She frowned at them; they weren't the striking ocean blue they once were. Now they were a dull blue, almost gray. It upset Gabriella just to look at them. She couldn't help if their past was what caused this extreme change.

"Gabriella, you just get more beautiful every time I see you. I mean, look at you! Troy don't you think so?" Lucille asked her son.

"What mom?" Troy asked completely clueless as to what she said before.

"Doesn't Gabriella look beautiful?" Mrs. Bolton repeated with a coy smile on her face.

Troy froze. How was he supposed to reply to that? "She always does mom." Troy whispered, looking up at Gabriella's reaction.

Gabriella stared at him; shock filled her chocolate brown eyes. "Ummm… thanks?" Gabriella mumbled so quietly it was hard to hear.

Lucille Bolton smiled, "Well you two wait here. Maria let's go get those pictures we just found." The two moms left with their husbands walking in after them. Troy and Gabriella were now the only ones out here since Troy's siblings had gone inside a little while earlier.

"So um, how are you?" Troy spoke first breaking the awkward silence with small talk.

"We're really going to do the friendly neighbor talk?" Gabriella waited for Troy to nod before she spoke again. "Okay then, I'm fine, I guess. And you?"

"Alright, exhausted. Glad to be home though."

"Yeah, me too. I haven't been home in the longest time it seems like." Gabriella looked around their street as she said that last line.

"It seems like everything has changed so much doesn't it? The people, the small town, even our houses." Troy followed her gaze around the street where the town square could be seen from around the corner.

"Yeah it does, it really does. I find it a little scary. I feel a little out of place here, like everyone looks at me differently now because we actually made it out. It feels weird to be back here."

"I agree, I mean, I feel like everyone is talking about me. I look behind my back for a second and people are already whispering and pointing! It just doesn't feel like I fit in here anymore, you know?" Troy began to sit down, waiting for Gabriella's response. When she began to start pacing away from him, he swore he felt his heart break a little more, like it had been for the past three years. She walked back to him though, taking a seat a couple of feet beside him.

"We're not the same people we used to be. We're not the small town kids we once were. We're bigger than that now. We made it out of here. Some of the first people to actually leave and go far, far away! We're like outcast here now. We don't belong here anymore. Everything's different now, everything's changed. We got out! We're living in the real world now, not this world where everyone knows everyone and their business. We're bigger than the town. We don't belong. We've changed." Gabriella looked deeply into Troy's gray eyes, hoping to find something, anything to prove that last sentence false. She found nothing. And before Troy could reply to anything she said, their parents rushed outside to show them the pictures of their now broken relationship, of the future that could have been… if they stayed together in their small Albuquerque town.

"Dude, can you believe it?! I mean, it's finally Christmas and we're finally spending it at home!" Chad exclaimed excitedly.

"Chad it's Christmas Eve, Santa won't come until tonight." Taylor explained jokingly.

"Aw shut up, all of you. You don't have to hate on me just because I'm excited."

"Well I'm just glad that we're all spending our favorite holiday together." Gabriella smiled largely, stealing a quick glance at Troy. They had spent the last week on civil grounds, despite how their relationship had ended. They had spent the first three days together (their families were together these days). They actually laughed and joked around together. It was almost as if they were falling back into being best friends, you know, before they took the step of being more than that.

"Well Gabs, as much as I loved your speech and everything, let's open up some presents!" Sharpay squealed, not wanting to delay any longer. "Okay, so since no else has volunteered… how about I go!"

"Not fair, you always do that! I want to go first!" Chad whined like a little toddler.

"Well maybe after all these years you'd actually learn my trick by now, but I guess not so therefore, I am going first!" Sharpay smiled, for she knew she had won this. "Alright so let's see who had my name…" The gang had gotten together the first night everyone was home to draw names for a secret Santa. They decided they had until Christmas Eve to get their person a present. "Okay… ooo Kelsi had my name!" Sharpay started to rip open the big box that was in front of her. "No way! Idina Menzels autograph and the deluxe edition of RENT and the new movie Wicked! AHHH! These aren't even out yet!" Sharpay exclaimed running over to tackle Kelsi.

"It helps when you go to Julliard. The autograph was easy. The movies… well they were a little challenging, but I got it!" Kelsi explained to not only Sharpay, who was still bouncing up and down, but to everyone.

"Okay well how about Kelsi goes next?" Taylor proposed.

"Okay so… Ryan had me!" Kelsi gave Ryan a sweet smile and opened the gift. "The piano book for 'In the Heights' and 'Legally Blonde'! Thanks Ryan!" She gave him a quick hug and settled back in her seat next to her boyfriend of two years, Jason Cross. Yes I know shocking! But they were home at the same time all those two years ago and well, hit it off right away.

"Alright so I guess it's me…" Chad said reaching for his gift.

Taylor smacked his hand while everyone else yelled, "Chad!"

"Fine just go fast Ryan!" Chad pouted. He actually thought he could get away with it!

"Alright, well Zeke had me!" Ryan cheered, ignoring Chad, and opened his gift. "Yum! Your famous cookies! Ooo and the dance game Step UP! Awesome man, I have been dying for this. Thanks!"

The night went on like this, Zeke got the new cutting tools and mixing bowls he needed from Jason. Jason received two tickets to the Lakers game from Sharpay. Martha got tickets to see A Chorus Line because they were coming to the Albuquerque Theatre, from Chad.

Now Chad, Taylor, Troy and Gabriella were left. They all had never had the other before, but as the closest friends, at least in the past, it was nice now that they had one another.

Taylor went first; her gift was from Martha, "Yes! The new set of the Twilight Saga movies and the Vampire Diaries' books! Thanks Martha!" she gave the girl a hug and sat back down next to Chad.

Taylor had Chad so he dove right into the present. "Yes, four ticket to the Knicks game and a new basketball! Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Chad, showing his romantic side for once, gave her a sweet kiss and everyone awed at them. They had reunited in New York on accident one evening together since. Chad went to UCONN with Troy.

Troy and Gabriella were the only two left. They had each other, obviously, since neither one had opened anything yet. "Ladies' first." Chad joked, wanting to know what his best friend got for his ex-girlfriend.

"I think Troy should go first. You know, ladies first as in the man open the ladies gift first." Gabriella exhaled nervously.

"Um… okay, uh, I guess I'll go first." Troy stuttered. He reached for the gift with his name on it, took a deep breath and ripped the wrapping paper off gently. Troy laughed when he opened the box, pulling out a DVD for the movie The Blindside, and a CD by The Rocket Summer. The Rocket Summer concert was the first concert Troy and Gabi went to without parents when they were 16. They drove all the way to San Diego to see it. It held such wonderful memories for the both of them. The Blindside was the movie that Gabriella cried in five times and Troy made fun of her the whole time. The movie was one of their last happy moments together as a couple, but one of Troy's favorite movies. "Thanks Brie, it's great! I love it!" Troy smiled flashing his big ol' goofy grin for one of the first times in a while.

"Your welcome." Gabriella whispered upon hearing the nickname she hadn't heard in years. The nickname that pulled her back to all those painful memories. Troy didn't seem to realize the slip up and Chad quickly covered it by handing Gabriella her gift from Troy.

Gabriella gasped when she saw what was in front of her. She blinked five times just to make sure it was in front of her. Tears started to form in her wide chocolate eyes. "Oh my god…" Gabriella pulled the rest of the box lid off, hearing the sharp intakes of breaths from the people all around her.

Gabriella took the colorful scrapbook out of the box flipping to the first page. 'Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton Best Friends Forever' it read in Troy's sloppy Kindergarten handwriting. Underneath that was a picture of the two of them sitting on the steps of Troy's tree house, laughing and holding a puppy. They couldn't have been older than five. As she flipped through the old pages she saw old Valentine's cards, old notes passed during classes, goofy pictures from when they were young, dance photos, everything they went through together was in that book. On the last page with something on there was an envelope. Inside that envelope held something Gabriella treasured deeply. With tears already streaming down her face, they now fell faster and harder than before as she took what was in the envelope out. "How did you get this?" Gabriella asked with shock in her voice, matching her eyes, as she pulled the necklace out.

"I saved it from when you threw it out. I knew you'd actually want it someday. I was going to give it to you… well you know, that night, we uh, well yeah, but that night didn't go as planned so I figured you should get it now. That you're ready now." Troy stumbled.

"Thank you, thank you so much! You… you just, always know how to make a girl smile don't you?" Gabriella gave Troy a long hug. She handed the necklace to him, asking him to do the honors.

Going around her neck was a necklace her mother gave to her when she turned fifteen, a necklace from her deceased father. He told Maria to give to Gabriella when she felt that she was ready for it. Gabriella wasn't ready; she threw the necklace out into the Montez's yard crying. The necklace was silver with a blue diamond star as the pendent. The star had a crystal hanging off of it spelling the word DREAM. All around the star was a quote Gabriella's dad always had said, "Dream big, because if you are not going to dream big than why dream at all." It was the motto Gabriella had been living by her whole life. The necklace just made everything seem so real and a fifteen year old Gabriella was not ready for that.

At once everyone wanted to look at the scrapbook, wanting to see their own faces at such a young age. Troy took a moment to step outside. It was getting awfully stuffy in there.

"It's quiet out here, isn't? Not like collage or even in that house." A voice whispered behind him.

"It is quiet, nice; I'm not used to that. I've grown fond of the cold and the white snow." Troy gazed out at the scenery in front of him.

"Same, the snow just seems so peaceful, so light and care free."

"Yeah it does. It makes it really seem like winter, unlike the wet grass and the hot sun." Troy looked at his home of practically all his life, not sure if he liked the hotness, the humidity anymore or not.

"I um… I never got to uh, thank you for the gifts. They were… amazing, so beautiful. It must have been hard to do that, so umm… thanks." Gabriella whispered the last thanks.

Troy finally turned around to meet her peaceful chocolate orbs. "Why would it have been hard for me? I'd like to think that it was quite easy. I'd like to think that I still know you better than anyone! I'd like to think that the past is finally behind us, that we have moved past it. It wasn't hard! What's hard is you standing here looking, thinking, I'm a monster. What's hard is looking at you… and how awkward it everything between us is now. What's hard was coming back because now I have seen you again, something I have been avoiding for the last three years. What's hard is now I don't know if I can ever come back here again." Troy stared into open space realizing the truth of everything he just said. He couldn't, he wouldn't be able to come back here.

You can't blame everything on me! You can't say all this stuff and expect me to just take it like that! You cannot say that the only reason we haven't been home in three years was to avoid seeing each other. That can't be true!" Gabriella had tears escaping by this point, flowing freely down her face. "I haven't been home in three years so I wouldn't have to see you. I know things are weird between us. I know! I know being here brings back so many memories, some painful. I know things between us ended badly because I was scared, but Troy it's been three years and I'm still not over you! I hate that and it makes me hate you!"

You think that it's easy for me! This is the hardest thing for me to do! Knowing that I let you go is something I'll regret for the rest of my life. You're the only person who knows me, the real me! You've seen me through good and bad, thick and thin. Knowing that I lost you that I couldn't hold on to you hurts so freakin' bad. It's been three years but coming back here to the place where things ended, to the place that I've tried to avoid, brings me back to the beginning. It makes me have to start all over again." Troy looked at her tearful eyes, longing to reach out and caress her cheek, to hold her in his arms once again.

"Troy I… I'm sorry, about everything. I'll regret too Troy because you were the one constant thing in my life. The one thing that made me feel safe. I'll regret everything too, Troy. I'm so, so sorry. I just-."

Gabriella was cut off by something warm hitting her lips. She felt herself being pulled closer to this object. Something gripped her waist hard, yet soft, pulling her towards the attraction. A warm hand held her cheek and sparks erupted throughout her whole body. She felt her own lips move with the others, weak at first but gradually getting stronger. She felt her knees buckle, a familiar feeling like they once used too when this happened, from the intensity, but two strong arms held her up. Her hand grabbed the shirt on the attraction, forming a ball-like structure in her hand. The other hand was holding the cheek of this said object. She went on her tip-toes to be even closer to him. The kiss was starting to simmer down because air was becoming an important necessity. They slowly parted their tangled lips but neither one let go of the other. They were happy, content, in the position they were in.

"Troy…" Gabriella began as she slowly opened her eyes, only to gaze into Troy's sparkling blue irises.

"Shh, don't… don't speak, not yet." Troy pleaded, hushing her instantly. He leaned in to kiss her once more. This kiss was sweet and passionate, not as rough, and hungry as the one before. They pulled away from each other once again; both drew in a deep breath, exhaling together.

"Troy, I… I, this is so hard and so… wrong." Gabriella mumbled.

"It doesn't have to be. My feelings for you never went away. We can work things out this time. There is no reason for you to be scared." Troy stared deeply into her shining brown eyes.

"I missed you, Troy. I know that there is no way I can go back to trying to forget you now. I need you. I've always needed you, but I just… can't." Gabriella cried silently.

"We can do this. We can make it right again, Gabriella. I'm not going to rush us into anything. We can take things slowly. Don't give up on us, not yet. Give me another chance to show you it will work this time." Troy cheered, hoping she'll let him.

"One step at a time?" Gabriella questioned. Troy nodded letting her continue. "I really have missed you, Troy." Gabriella said hugging him tightly against her, never wanting to ever let go.

"I missed you too, Brie. You have no idea how much." Troy smiled down at her, kissing her hair, taking in her strawberry vanilla scent.

They weren't ready to say 'I love you' yet but they were close. They would spend forever together never letting go. They would finally get the happy ending they had always dreamed of having all those three years ago. Fights and pain would happen but they would never, not once, let go. They stayed hugging in the Albuquerque night, reunited once again, together forever, finally at home, never letting go.

**Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE REVIEW, I really would enjoy any kind of feedback. Thanks! Hope everyone had a great Christmas!**


End file.
